Blow/fill/seal blow molding process is an extrusion blow molding process. The basic blow molding apparatus includes an extruder, a die with single or multiple parison, a clamping arrangement, and a mold. The basic blow/fill/seal extrusion blow molding process steps are extrusion of a parison, inflation of the extruded parison while in a mold to form a container, filling and sealing of the formed container, and removal of the sealed container from the mold in a single, sequential operation. The blow/fill/seal process is a preferred process for aseptic packaging of liquid pharmaceutical products. A typical blow/fill/seal machine and process is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,597,793, 4,176,153, and 4,707,966 to Weiler et al.
Apparatus for extrusion blow molding has a parison forming station, a blow molding station, and a container take-out station downstream from the blow molding station. In blow/fill/seal blow molding process the parison extruded at the parison forming station is received in the mold at the parison forming station, the mold holding the parison is transported to the blow-and-fill station where the parison is transformed into a container which is then filled and sealed. The sealed container, while still in the mold, is then transported to the take-out station. A take-out conveyor receives the formed and filled container when the mold is opened at the take-out station and transports the container away from the blow molding apparatus for secondary operations such as flash trimming, if needed, and packaging.
The present blow molding apparatus facilitates a more efficient blow/fill/and seal operation at the blow-and-fill station by providing a mold carriage and at least one mold assembly associated therewith in which only a portion of the mold assembly is actuated during the blow molding process, resulting in reduced processing time.